Backbenchers claim £118,000 a year in expenses

Backbench
MPs claim an average of £118,000 a year for staff, travel and housing costs, it
was revealed yesterday.

The
bulk of their expenses cover the salaries of secretaries, researchers and wider
office costs at Westminster
and in their constituencies.

But
travel costs, which can be reimbursed without bills, and the generous London
allowance for MPs whose main homes are elsewhere, may raise some eyebrows,
political pundits predicted.

Although
formal disclosure of the details of each member’s annual claim – part of a
process of greater transparency – is not due until October, four MPs yesterday
opened the books to the Sunday Times, which had been investigating the issue.

The
newspaper claimed that the total expenses bill is more than £78m a year – an
average of £118,361 for the 659 MPs elected to Westminster.

It
comes on top of their annual salary of £56,358 and their recently boosted
employers’ salary contribution of £13,526.